Stone Cold Steve Austin has chosen who he thinks was the best on the microphone during the Attitude Era, and believe it or not, it isn’t himself.
The WWE Hall of Famer named his longtime rival turned Hollywood juggernaut Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the top talker during the height of pro-wrestling in popular culture. Austin, who is well-known for his skills on the mic, throws praise to the Great One during his recent appearance on the “First We Feast” program on Youtube, but does acknowledge that Rocky didn’t start out as a fan-favorite.
“You cannot overlook The Rock. When he first arrived on the scene, he was this good-looking, third-generation babyface and people just didn’t take to him. They’d say, ‘Die Rocky Die! Die Rocky Die!”
The Rattlesnake later discusses the work The Rock did to improve his character, which started with his decision to join the Nation of Domination. From there, he took his persona to the next level.
“He started wearing the silk shirts and he started referring to himself in third person and working that eyebrow. And he electrified and captivated crowds with his catchphrases, his cadence and his delivery, and his message and calling everybody ‘jabroni. He commanded the audience’s respect, attention and elicited the response that he was looking for from them.”
Who Else Does Austin Revere As A Great Talker?
The Rock wasn’t the only WWE legend Austin decided to call attention to. He also highlighted current AEW star and fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts as a talent who captivated audiences by sometimes saying nothing at all.
“Once Jake got in the ring, he commanded your respect. He had this presence about him, and he’s one of the most economic, efficient workers out there, where he didn’t do a whole lot, but everything he did meant something, and he was always working for that DDT.”
Austin may hold these talents in high regards, but few would argue that he doesn’t belong at the top of the list as it is well documented that his run in the late 90s was considered one of the greatest of all time, and catapulted the Rattlesnake to monumental levels.
(Quotes via Wrestling Inc.)